A Curious Second Chance
by AotA
Summary: A certain scout isn't particularly pleased with his strange time traveling to just after the battle of Tyger Pax. He counts himself luck that he retains contact with the Matrix of Leadership that proves he didn't just imagine it all. He remains… A Prime.


**Title:** A Curious Second Chance

**Author:** AotA  
**Rating:** K  
**Warnings:** none  
**Characters:** Bumblebee, Ratchet  
**Setting:** tf-bayverse  
**Summary:** Summary: A certain scout isn't particularly pleased with his strange time traveling to just after the battle of Tyger Pax. He counts himself luck that he retains contact with the Matrix of Leadership that proves he didn't just imagine it all. He remains… a Prime.  
**Notes:**

Bumblebee lazily pried himself out of recharge. On the cusp of total awareness, his processors paused as his sensors, _all_ of them, reported the strangest things. Damage and error reports demanded his attention, and even _those_ were wrong.

Somehow, in the space of one recharge, he had managed to get himself nearly scrapped and placed into an old model scout protoform.

Checking his chronometer, Bumblebee was startled to realize that it had gone _backwards!_

In the space of an astrosecond, he brought himself fully online and standing, his unfortunately meager standard scout weaponry at the ready and his outdated battle mask slamming down to fix in place. His targeting software picked up one signature in close proximity.

When he recognized his old comrade he tried to speak but his attempts as speaking were mangled beyond comprehension. "_Rachet?"_ he tried to say, but all that came from his voice was a dissonant tone and an unpleasant shrieking noise. Bumblebee winced at the all too familiar sensation as more warnings appeared. Calmer since he recognized the medic, he allowed his cannons to power down as he gingerly probed his throat.

Bumblebee let out a dismayed warble as he recognized the all too familiar damage.

_Tyger Pax!_

Checking his chronometer again, he compared the dates and found them to match up.

_This_, Bumblebee thought with a sense of dread, _is wrong_.

Almost frantic, the scout raked through his memories trying to patch things together before he realized that he might be infected with a virus that was making him think that he was trapped in his earlier times. _If it were just after Tyger Pax, then we would still be warring with the Decepticons… _Bumblebee shuttered his optics and pressed his hands against his face. _I don't want to see this…_

Bumblebee mostly ignored the irate medic growling at him in favor of checking his systems. Thankfully, nothing was overly wrong with him besides being in generally poor repair and his _voice_. He was ambulatory, with weapons, so cautiously called to the Matrix of Leadership that had kept him company for so long.

For several long moments, there was nothing, then… a familiar reassuring pulse resonated with his spark and the yellow scout allowed himself to feel relief.

He lowered his hands and unshuttered his optics to see the Matrix, _his_ Matrix, floating in front of him, its blue spark-like glow even more evident than usual. The Matrix knew him, no matter what happened. He opened his hands, and the small artifact drifted through the air and rested in his palm. Bumblebee closed his fingers around it as the glow faded.

Ratchet was studying him like an unknown specimen. Bumblebee supposed he allowed the poor grumpy medic that right. After all, it wasn't every day that you saw a Matrix of Leadership appear out of nowhere. Bumblebee wanted to laugh. He opened a communications channel instead, ::It has been a while, Ratchet. For me at least.::

Those few words seemed to stun the medic even more, and this time, Bumblebee was at a loss as to the cause.

Bumblebee tilted his head, ::Ratchet?::

Ratchet shuttered and unshuttered his optics, then ran a diagnostic on their functioning. "Bumblebee...? Is that… the Matrix of Leadership? And you are… a _Prime?_"

Bumblebee actually laughed at the blatant disbelief, then clutched at his vocals again. ::Megatron deserves to be _slagged_.:: the Prime scout informed the medic painedly, ::This is the second time I will have to go through this. Though the presence of one of the Matrixes will change things.::

Ratchet was coming back up to speed, "The second time? What exactly is going on here Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee cautiously released his injured throat and made a careful test of it. ::I was Bumblebee for a great many orns more than my chronometer affords me. And I became Lux Prime well before the end of the war. …Like Orion became Optimus.::

Bumblebee spread his hands out before him, ::I know where the Allspark went and I know the location of the Dynasty of Primes… and our Fallen brother.::

Bumblebee was sure that if Ratchet had been human, the poor high strung mech would have been choking or foaming at the mouth.

::For now,:: Bumblebee told Ratchet, ::I wish to speak to my brother.::

Ratchet agreed and dazedly shooed him out of the medbay, grumbling about glitches and wanting some R&R so that he didn't crack.

Bumblebee was amused and let his friend be. He didn't want Ratchet to _really_ glitch, but it was fun to push the other mech's buttons after not seeing him for a long time. Optimus was next on his "list" and it would be fun to see the First Prime's reaction.


End file.
